CPAC’s Surprise Gay Ally: Jimmy McMillan Will Marry You And/Or Your Shoe

SERIOUSLY THE RENT IS REALLY HIGH:

You may recall that Autostraddle as an institution threw its support wholeheartedly behind Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party for Governor of New York last year. This is what America needs.

Jimmy McMillan’s thoughts on gay people were, at that time, “[Homosexuals] are normal human beings just like me and you they were just born different,” and on gay marriage specifically, “The Rent Is 2 Damn High Party feels if you want to marry a shoe, I’ll marry you.”

This week at CPAC, which is like New Year’s in Las Vegas for every conservative pundit and politician who so much as owns a tie clip, McMillan confirmed that he is a) a 2012 Presidential candidate and b) the only GOP candidate running who supports gay marriage.

Wearing his signature black gloves and handlebar mustache, McMillan stood in front of gay GOP group GOProud’s booth and reiterated his support for gay marriage, CBS News reported. He said he doesn’t want to know what other people do in their bedrooms “because I get freaky in my bedroom.”

“If you want to drop your pants, drop ’em, dog. I got your back,” McMillan said in response to a question about “personal liberties.”

AMERICA IS A BEAUTIFUL THING. JIMMY MCMILLAN 2012 FOREVER.

GAY CHURCH MARRIAGE:

Today the British Government announced that it has plans to change the current law around same-sex marriage and civil partnerships, and allow gay couples to perform marriage ceremonies inside places of worship. The Church of England has already said it won’t allow its buildings to be used for same-sex marriages, but other groups, including Quakers and Unitarians, are likely to step forward. Under current rules, same-sex unions in Britain must be entirely secular.

NASHVILLE:

A bill in Nashville, TN that would extend protections to gay, lesbian and trans people against discrimination may be coming in the future. Mayor Karl Dean has said that if the bill can pass through the city council, he will sign it. The council bill would require city contractors to pledge not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

LEGAL VICTORY:

A 23-year-old student teacher who was fired from his post at an Oregon elementary school after letting his students know he was gay has settled with the school district for $75,000. “Stambaugh, who will graduate from Lewis & Clark College in the summer, says he’ll donate at least $10k to two youth-oriented local non-profits. The school will also “provide leadership training concerning issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression,” according to the settlement details. ”

ROSS DISCRIMINATION POLICY:

It’s never good when an incident of discrimination hurts someone, like the story of Christy M’s being kicked out of a Ross’s dressing room because the manager didn’t understand her gender identity, but it is good when for once it doesn’t end in a lawsuit and instead leads to the company voluntarily re-examining its policy. “The ACLU of Washington says that California-based Ross Dress for Less has clarified to employees that company policy prohibits discrimination against persons based on gender identity and expression, and that the Ross Stores was drafting policy including a “special instruction” to employees on accommodating customers’ gender identities for use of the bathroom and dressing rooms.”

HANSON LOVING:

Maybe you’re one of those people who got over Hanson when you were fourteen. If so, I have nothing to say to you. But Hanson does, in this video, and I would suggest you listen, because honestly what the hell is wrong with you.

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Rachel

Originally from Boston, MA, Rachel now lives in the Midwest. Topics dear to her heart include bisexuality, The X-Files and tacos. Her favorite Ciara video is probably "Ride," but if you're only going to watch one, she recommends "Like A Boy." You can follow her on twitter and instagram.

Rachel has written 1142 articles for us.

20 Comments

  1. “The council bill would require city contractors to pledge not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”

    WHAT A CONCEPT.

  2. Is it just me, or is “…a roof over yo’ head, food on yo’ table, and money in yo’ pocket…” a great campaign slogan? Win for Jimmy McMillan.

  3. Ross could just take the “men” and “women” signs off the dressing rooms. I don’t care who I get changed around as long as they aren’t messy/rude.

    • I completely agree. I used to work at Old Navy back in the day, and our changing rooms were unisex. We never had problems. (Well, not around that, anyway!)

  4. Pingback: CPAC’s Surprise Gay Ally: Jimmy McMillan Will Marry You And/Or Your Shoe – Autostraddle | Gay Marriage News Articles

    • Yes. I have a lot to say about each thing mentioned here… but: Hanson!!! But Taylor isn’t pretty anymore :(

      If only I could have gotten my girl to treat me like a member of Hanson yesterday…

  5. Unfortunately, his thoughts about Jews are that we are building a foundation of apartheid in America (what? I don’t know), and are also the conspiracy shielding Al Queda and 9/11 operatives, and also probably keeping the rent too damn high. His defense against being labeled an anti-semite revolves around something like the non-existence of the Jewish race/ethnicity. Can’t be racist against a non-race!

    http://www.mcmillanentinc.com/read_this_book.html

    • Aw man, I didn’t know he was a real guy – I thought he was a character SNL made up, like Tim Calhoun. Now apparently there’s one more antisemite in the world.

  6. Its time for the marriage police, modeled on the soviet secret police to go away. (minor correction, if I may)

    Amazing how so many Christians, or should I say “anything but” Christians, seem to operate like the aethist soviet union. Always needing an enemy to demonize.

    10 years from now, despite all the hate groups who call their hate love, Most of us will be wondering what was wrong with the people who gave us this battle.

    The people of hitlers own religion (every german soldiers belt buckle said “gott mit Uns” (god is with us) And he has not been officially kicked out of the church which he was baptised into in 1888 in Austria.

    And the southern baptist types, most , but not all, who seem to hate gays with a passion, while they follow a book written in the dark ages of superstition and ignorance.

    Which per their ancestors justified slavery as per the bible

  7. Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, and Jimmy McMillan…
    I’m wearing a top hat for all of 2012 because it’s going to be a political circus up in here.

  8. Jimmy McMillan is a funny character (the background song he had playing on his website during his 2010 gov run was hilariously amazing) but there are some things to bear in mind. He has been running for offices for years. It seems he makes a spectacle knowing he will be covered in the media as part of the political process — free publicity. He appeared on primetime TV in a debate with Gov. Cuomo for god’s sake. But the truth is, he has said some questionable things about Jews in his previous runs for governor.

    And I find his gay marriage stance that it’s OK to “marry a shoe” pretty demeaning to what gay marriage stands for. The notion that marriage will be cheapened to the point that we can marry dogs or shoes is exactly a) what conservatives argue against gay marriage b) what I know most gay (and straight supporters of gay marriage) wouldn’t want.

    I definitely laughed at McMillan with my friends. But he is not a voice in politics that people should be looking to for real policy considerations. On one hand, the political process should be open to more than just two political parties and wealthy, mostly white males. But on the other hand, McMillan’s use of our democracy for his own goofy publicity makes a mockery of process.

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